At what age should children first learn about sex? 

It is a question that all parents have to consider at some point, although a significant number shudder with horror at the very thought. 

However, one parent who is certainly used to navigating this complex issue is Irish Times columnist Jen Hogan. 

For the mother of seven, sex ed has long been “part of an ongoing conversation” with her children as they grow. 

“Some of mine, I had to bring it up with because they weren’t showing any curiosity,” she explained to Lunchtime Live. 

“That’s not to say that they hadn’t heard bits in school - but they weren’t looking to have the blanks filled in. 

“They were content enough with just getting on in life and not really having any conversations or anything.”

A nurse caring for newborn baby after childbirth. Picture by: Alamy.com. 

For Ms Hogan’ eldest child, the conversation was actually quite easy because of their shared interest in programmes about child birth. 

“When she was a toddler I was absolutely obsessed with programmes like One Born Every Minute,” she said. 

“I was always watching babies being born; so, most of her curiosity in the early days was about the exit route. 

“Because she was interested in the exit route, everything just fell into place - it was like we worked backwards. 

“All her curiosity kind of stemmed around that.”

Generational differences

For Newstalk’s Simon Tierney, the issue of when to teach his two daughters about the birds and bees is something that is “coming down the line” for him. 

“It’s very difficult for our generation,” he said. 

“We haven’t really had this modelled for us, in the sense that our parents often outsourced these responsibilities to other people or to a book.

“For me, a book was kind of casually left on a kitchen counter with the hope that I would stumble on it and navigate this by myself.” 

Close up of a couple and a pregnant woman. Image: Photononstop / Alamy Stock Photo

Simon continued that this often means that parents feel "embarrassed" talking about this topic with their children. 

“The tone that we use around this conversation dictates how the information will be received by the child,” he said. 

“I think often we might feel embarrassed, emotionally disconnected from it; we try and avoid these conversations.

“And all these things lead to a tone of apprehension, nervousness - almost shame. 

“And I think that sets perhaps an unhelpful tone.” 

For any parent looking for help, the HSE has developed a set of resources to help them educate their children about sex in an age appropriate manner.

Main image: A father and daughter walking on the beach. Picture by: Alamy.com.